Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

THE THIRTY-EIGHT BACH REMEDIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Agrimony . . . . . . 46
Aspen . . . . . . . 122
Beech . . . . . . . 142
Centaury . . . . . . 58
Cerato . . . . . . . . 62
Cherry Plum . . . . 114
Chestnut Bud . . . 126
Chicory . . . . . . . 50
Clematis . . . . . . . 38
Crab Apple . . . . 146
Elm . . . . . . . . 118
Gentian . . . . . . . 74
Gorse . . . . . . . . 84

Heather . . . . . . . 96
Holly . . . . . . . . 154
Honeysuckle . . . . 174
Hornbeam . . . . . 134
Impatiens . . . . . . 34
Larch . . . . . . . . 130
Mimulus . . . . . . . 42
Mustard . . . . . . 182
Oak . . . . . . . . . 88
Olive . . . . . . . . 100
Pine . . . . . . . . 170
Red Chestnut . . . 166
Rock Rose . . . . . . 78

Rock Water . . . . . 92
Scleranthus . . . . . 66
Star of Bethlehem . 158
Sweet Chestnut . . 185
Vervain . . . . . . . 54
Vine . . . . . . . . 104
Walnut . . . . . . . 150
Water Violet . . . . . 70
White Chestnut . . 162
Wild Oat . . . . . . 108
Wild Rose . . . . . 178
Willow . . . . . . . 138

THE 12 HEALERS
Impatiens .
Clematis . .
Mimulus . .
Agrimony .

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.

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.
.
.

.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.

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.
.
.

34
38
42
46

Chicory . . . . . . . 50
Vervain . . . . . . . 54
Centaury . . . . . . 58
Cerato . . . . . . . . 62

Scleranthus . . . . . 66
Water Violet . . . . . 70
Gentian . . . . . . . 74
Rock Rose . . . . . . 78

Gorse . . . . . . . . 84
Oak . . . . . . . . . 88
Rock Water . . . . . 92

Heather . . . . . . . 96
Olive . . . . . . . . 100

Vine . . . . . . . . 104
Wild Oat . . . . . . 108

Beech . . . . . . .
Crab Apple . . . .
Walnut . . . . . . .
Holly . . . . . . . .
Star of Bethlehem .
White Chestnut . .

Red Chestnut . .
Pine . . . . . . .
Honeysuckle . . .
Wild Rose . . . .
Mustard . . . . .
Sweet Chestnut .

THE 7 HELPERS

THE SECOND 19
Cherry Plum . . . . 114
Elm . . . . . . . . 118
Aspen . . . . . . . 122
Chestnut Bud . . . 126
Larch . . . . . . . . 130
Hornbeam . . . . . 134
Willow . . . . . . . 138

142
146
150
154
158
162

.
.
.
.
.
.

166
170
174
178
182
186

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Introduction
It is an important part of the function of this book that it provides the
necessary technical information for those who wish to make remedies for
themselves. But it is felt that there are other possibilities which can be
mentioned here which may be of use. People who use a pendulum to dowse
for an appropriate remedy can use the photographs in the book for diagnosis.
And this could be done by just looking at the pictures: we will be attracted
intuitively to the flowers that have significance for us. The pictures are
intended to represent the feeling of the remedy as well as give the reader a
copybook illustration, and by selecting a remedy visually we may be able to
come closer to the original healing force of the flower.
The photographs could equally be used for treatment, as contemplating the
image will offer another way to observation. However, they are not likely to
be as beneficial as going out to find the plant or tree itself. By including the
text from Bachs Twelve Healers & Other Remedies it is possible to use the book
for more conventional diagnosis. The affirmations, all chosen from Bachs
own writings, will offer a positive thought for use in meditation. This can
strengthen us by bringing into focus that which we wish to become, that
which we are moving towards.

The main text falls into thirty-eight sections, one for each of the thirtyeight flower essences which Dr Bach discovered. These thirty-eight are
grouped as The Twelve Healers, The Seven Helpers and the Second Nineteen. The
first twelve were characterized by Dr Bach as being the type remedies, the
essential condition and soul lesson with which we are born. The Seven Helpers
were described as remedies for chronic conditions which often overlay the
essential personality type. The Second Nineteen, remedies of a different order,
are for emotional responses to traumatic life experiences.
The details about each of these remedies concern both the flowers and
his reasons for choosing them. This is not the same information as is found
in books on Bach therapy which seek to delineate the psychological type
for each remedy and then give the name of the appropriate flower. The
thought here is that we can look at the plant first, attempting to understand
its gesture and how it speaks of the remedy state to which it corresponds.
Through an appreciation of the plant or tree we can come to an appreciation
of the emotional state. A person can then be helped by an essence made from
that flower. This book puts the flower before the flower essence. It invites the
view that the best therapy comes directly from the natural world itself.

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

The essence within

It is now more than eighty years since Dr Bach took a fateful walk along
the banks of the River Usk, near Crickhowell, in September 1928. Much has
changed since then. But what has not changed are the human emotions
simple and yet profound - which he described and the remedies he found
in the wild flowers of Britain. It has been claimed that people are now
different and that we need more sophisticated flower essences for the new
millennium. But human nature does not change and we still need to read
and understand the basic roadmap of life which Edward Bach drew in the 38
Bach Flower Remedies.
This roadmap begins now, as it began for Bach, with the discovery of who
we really are. What is the basic emotional response which I have towards
life? Is it fear, impatience, uncertainty or a desire to withdraw and be alone?
Dr Bach began his search for the flower remedies by seeking a remedy for
himself. He was, by all accounts, a determined, self-assured man who knew
what he wanted to do in life and preferred to do it alone. That was not
because he was antisocial rather because other people slowed him down
with their demands for attention and inability to grasp the direction of his
ideas. So it was that around the time of his forty-second birthday Edward
Bach left London and took the train west. He arrived at the border town of
Abergavenny and walked the 6 miles to Crickhowell. Little has changed here.

10

The same narrow bridge spans the river and reminds us that there is a bridge
in both space and time to the place where Dr Bach first saw Impatiens
growing there on the riverbank.
For Bach, the recognition of the plant and the way that it grows expressed
in another form the way that he lived his life. The good and the bad
together; the striving for forgiveness alongside the tension and pain that he
recognised as a part of himself. The idea then was to find a way back to the
best of himself, a way to be free from the negative influences of this type of
personality. In the flowers of Impatiens, with their gentle, balanced quality
he saw and heard a message: relax, be gentle with yourself and with others.

This may sound like a simple message: not enough to be the true cause and
cure of disease as Bach described it. But it is the simplicity of the idea which
is most profound. If I know myself then I may heal myself. Self-knowledge
allows for change: understanding enables a person to take responsibility. So
the real message from Bach in his book Heal Thyself is know thyself. And
the subtext of his other seminal essay Free Thyself, is the title of another:
Ye Suffer From Yourselves. All in all he firmly puts us in the driving seat as
masters of our own fate, in charge of our own lives.
It is true that this book started out as a textbook account of how you may
make your own Bach flower remedies. And it remains a valuable way to
contact the essential healing forces of the flowers, just as Dr Bach did. But
just as it has gained a new subtitle the essence within it seems right to
point to a different way in which the reader may work with the book. The
remedy plants are listed in chronological order, the order in which Dr Bach
found them.
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Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

A need for balance

How did Bach come to his discoveries?

All of this has an effect upon the consciousness of the earth and it is this
consciousness which gives rise to the thought forms of plant and tree. We are
a part of it ourselves and respond to its call. Conservation and ecology are a
response to the earths need for balance. So too Dr Bachs discovery of flower
remedies, for if we understand how the plants can help us we will better
recognize how we can live so as to help them. We will appreciate the way
that all living things interrelate.
As a subject of study this has a long way to go. We may know some of the
reasons why a plant grows in certain physical conditions but as yet there is
little concern for why it exists in its own terms. Those who seek to attune
themselves to individual plants do learn more of their secrets and this in turn
is offering a new vision of the planets life. Whether we choose to describe
this in terms of plant devas and angelic beings is not really very important,
for there is a genuine attempt to recognize the guiding forces of creation and
to see how they work in life. As we learn about them we may hope to live
and work with co-operation rather than conflict. The
results will become apparent in the world around us,
We shall learn most
as these forces will help to change the consciousness of
by making contact
those who are responsible for the wellbeing of the earth.
with the land and

When the question arises How did Bach actually find the flowers? How
did he know which one would act to help which particular psychological
state? many different answers can be given. Sometimes it looks as though
some good angel or other discarnate being was whispering in his ear telling
him what to look for. And why not? This is channelling and many people
have had experience of it. But perhaps Bach, with his medical training, was
not a man for the psychic approach. Then again people often say, He was a
sensitive man, you know, and he had only to put his hand over a flower and
he knew exactly what its healing quality was. If we have the sensitivity such
things do undoubtedly take place: we feel the strong vibrational quality of
the plant and can recognize it and give it words and form, as it were. But Dr
Bach, whose training was as a scientist, worked with scientific observation
one suspects.

The journey of the individual

the plants ourselves,

In the past it has been the practice for specialists to do
research and then publish their findings, in the manner not just by taking
of explorers giving an account of a new land to those
somebody elses word
who stayed at home. But this is a journey of discovery
for the experience.
we all need to take, individually and together. We shall
learn most by making contact with the land and the
plants ourselves, not just by taking somebody elses word for the experience.
There is no definite way in which this is to be done and our own experience
will guide us, as will the silent teacher of our inner being.
This is clearly the way in which Bach approached the subject, as we can tell
from his writings. What we learn then will be in accordance with what we
need to know, so that we can better fulfil our lifes purpose. This is consistent
with Bachs understanding of how we can achieve health by using flower
remedies. Always the inner directive from the soul leads us towards necessary
experiences, which will lead us to be happy in life.

18

In the late summer of 1928 we know that he found the first three remedies
when he was walking along the banks of the river Usk in South Wales. While
much has changed in the years since then these plants do still grow there. So
what can we say about what may have happened?
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Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Attunement
The process of coming to meet the
plants has been called attunement:
we learn to listen to the tuning
vibration of the plant. Inevitably
this has a rather personal quality
to it. The description of what
we experience individually can
sometimes appear vague or even
fanciful to those who are out of
sympathy. But it can be used to
inform and vitalize a more objective
approach that is based upon outward
observation. We need to feel the
living forces of nature as well as see
them as external phenomena. That
way we can realize how they are part
of us and we of them. Ideally there
is a balance between the inner and
outer experience, so that we can
come to a better understanding of
what these plants are and how they
each express their particular nature.
There is much to learn in just
finding the remedy plants and
observing them. At first it may be
difficult to identify an individual
flower and many hours can be spent
in fruitless searching. But, as we see
one and then another, we recognize
the gesture of the remedy and
begin to see with an inner eye the
quality of it. We begin to know the
feeling of how and where it grows
and sense the reason for its being
there; equally we can recognize
why it will not be found elsewhere.
In a similar way it is helpful to see
22

how the flowers compare with each

other the flower of Cherry Plum
may appear a little like Crab Apple,
for instance, though its growth and
manner of flowering mark it off as
quite different. The colour of these
flowers points to something of their
quality as remedies.

that way for a reason. So the plant

remedies for fear have a dynamic
colour, which projects a bright
strength. The exception is the grey
Aspen, although parts of the flower
can be seen to be deep red when
examined closely.

Colour & light

The way the flowers present

themselves at different levels
between the earth and sky is also
significant. Some plants hug the
ground (like Scleranthus), some
try to gain height on frail stems
(Wild Oat), others are held aloft by
mighty trunks and branches (Sweet
Chestnut). In a similar way there is
a difference between the dangling
catkin (Aspen), the flower that faces
out horizontally (Honeysuckle) and
the erect flowerhead which holds
the petals out to face the sun (Star
of Bethlehem or Centaury). The size,
shape and colour of the flower, the
locality, the soil, the community of
other plants, the time of flowering,
all these things have a meaning and
can be read as more than the facts
of physical information. Observing
these things will help us better to
understand the flowers that we are
working with and help us to be
more consciously attuned to nature
altogether. Then, when we come
to make a remedy (or even pick a
lettuce come to that), we will be
more sensitive, aware and awake to
what is happening.

We also can see them as a part of a

far greater pattern in the landscape
of colour as it changes through the
seasons. This does not follow exactly
the spectral sequence, but the year
starts with white, leads on through
yellow (and red) to blue and purple.
The individual colours play a
large part in the subtle nature of the
remedy flowers. Blue flowers like
Cerato, for instance, express a more
receptive feeling. The yellow or red
flowers of Mimulus or Gorse are
more dynamic.
This polarity of colour can be seen
as the blue darkness of space into
which the yellow sunlight shines.
Where they meet on the surface
of the earth, green leaves of the
plant kingdom result. So, too, the
green of spring is a meeting of the
darkness of winter with the summer
light. This can be seen as significant
in the green flower remedies like
Scleranthus and Wild Oat which
are concerned with balance, the
balance which mediates between
light and dark, above and below.
Each individual flower is coloured

Plant form

Pattern & location

The pattern of forces that the plant
embodies is an expression of the
land and all that happens there,
physically and metaphysically. We
tend to think that plants grow in
a certain place by chance they
are fortunate if the seed lands in a
spot where the soil, moisture and
other physical conditions are just
right. But this is not the complete
story. Where plants are able to grow
wild, where they grow naturally,
a different complex of forces is at
work. There is something in the
place which expresses the inner
nature of the species.

Physical properties
We can see this idea more easily
perhaps if we compare the physical
properties of a certain herb with the
wider vibrational qualities.
If we look at the physical
properties of a plant like Agrimony
we can discover, by looking in a
herbal text book, that it has
a long history as a vulnerary
and liver herb in traditional
medicine. A chemist might
take the plant, burn it to ash and
then make a chemical analysis of
the ash. Apparently this would
explain the medicinal action. But
these things are quite different from
the use of this herb by Bach and the
vibrational properties it has.

23

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Heather
As well as these observations we can
discover something directly from
the experience of making a flower
essence. Necessarily the observation
here is personal; what follows is a
brief account of the time spent on
a hilltop when making the Heather
remedy one summer day. Heather
grows on wild moorland, on high
ground mostly. Living close to the
Welsh hills one very
bright, clear morning
I set out to climb on
to the top. This was
no great mountain
but high enough to
be able to see all the
land for many miles
around. The Heather
remedy is for a particular
kind of loneliness. It is for those
people who feel a great need for the
company of others, a need to talk
and share their troubles, no matter
with whom. This can be seen as an
expression of great soul loneliness,
of not knowing just where we
belong in life, a feeling that we need
to be known and recognized by a
friend. We might ask: if Bach found
this remedy and it is for this type
of person, why should it work for
them? Why should Heather be a
helper to this emotional state? What
has it got for us that it can help
to change the negative emotional
difficulty?
28

When we make a flower remedy,

especially if it is a long way from
home, there is not much else to
do but sit and just be there. You sit
and look at the sky, you look at the
flowers, you sit and think and then
you just sit. This morning it was so
beautiful. The sky was intensely blue,
the Heather vibrant pink-purple. The
day, so warm and fine. Nobody else
was there, no other
people at least. There
were a few wild ponies
and the odd sheep,
a couple of ravens
cawing at each other.
Slowly, as I quietened
myself, the quietness
became immense; the
silence stretched
away over the great empty valleys
below; the space filled with the
warm, vibrant, living air.
The quiet joy of being there was
so strong. Although it is hard to
put into words, I felt that this is
the remedy for unification. I
felt a presence which is behind all
individual things like the spirit
that is behind each species. There
is the spirit that is behind the
Heather or every other individual
plant, animal or insect. Each plant
knows how to be itself because it is
connected to this spirit. The bees
that were thronging the Heather
flowers knew how to be themselves

because of the spirit of Bee-ness

that they are a part of. They fly up
from the valley below, drawn by
the scent of Heather, gather the
pollen and nectar from the millions
of flowers and unfailingly navigate
their way home. They know their
purpose within this spirit and live
it. But there are many, many other
lives just as complex and purposeful.
Spiders making webs, the minute
insects that crawl, buzz and hover;
gnats which hang like a mist
suspended over a particular rock as if
pointing a meaning to it. Then there
are birds that curve and call in the
air, the skylark thrilling high and
clear. They come like the spirit of
freedom which lives there wild and
remote.
Many of us, I suppose, know this
experience, the joy we can have in
such a place. But at the same time I
saw that while the plants, the insects
and the birds were each connected
to their own spirit and knew their
nature I saw that human beings so
often were not. It seemed that some
people failed to contact this spirit in
themselves and that was why they
felt lost and confused. That was the
message of Heather. The negative
state of the Heather remedy was this
feeling of isolation, of loneliness, of
being unable to endure the wild and
open space of the soul, alone.

Then I saw that there really is a

universal mind substance which
each of us can reach into and be
a part of. That is the spirit which
lies behind or rather within human
beings. To reach to this spirit one
had only to move towards it, rather
than turning away. It carried all
within it. It knew all, saw all, and
was all. To be a part of that unity
was to be no longer alone. It was
the comfort and blessedness of
communion, being one with all
life, separate but part of a united
creation. It is a little like coming
home, like meeting your family,
like knowing that you are not alone
because you are loved. Sitting up
there with the Heather that morning
I felt that I was no longer a stranger
in the land, no longer apart and
isolated but one with it all. I didnt
want to leave. I sat there for three
hours while the remedy was making
and they were like minutes, warm,
rich and beautiful.
Well, there it is. That is part of the
message from the Heather flowers.

29

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

When we begin to work with flower remedies these sorts

of forces begin to flow within us. They become the way by
which we begin to see life a little differently. They are the
agents of change. We may turn back and see better who and
what we are. There is a kind of mystery in the way that the
plants inter-react with human beings. This is the mystery of
life, the wonder of creation and the miracle of all existence.

30

THE 38
BACH FLOWER
REMEDIES
The 12 Healers
The 7 Helpers
The Second 19

33-81
83-111
113-197

31

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Impatiens

Impatiens
glandulifera

Rock Rose Helianthemum

nummularium

Gentian Gentiana
amarella

Water Violet Hottonia

palustris

32

Clematis Clematis
vitalba

Mimulus

Mimulus
guttatus

THE 12
HEALERS
These are the type remedies, describing the kind
of person you are. In adults this is not always
easy to recognise. But circumstances can help
expose our essential nature, or remedy type:
how we behave when ill, what we are like under
pressure, what qualities we admire or dislike in
others. Look for the correlation between your
true nature and the remedy description.

Scleranthus Scleranthus
annuus

Cerato Ceratostigma
wilimottianum

Agrimony Agrimonia
eupatoria

Chicory

Vervain

Chicorium
intybus

Verbena
officianalis

Centaury Centaurium
erythaea

33

The 12 Healers

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

IMPATIENS
Impatiens glandulifera
irritated by constraints,
quick, tense, impatient
gentle and forgiving

AFFIRMATION
You are striving for
exquisite gentleness
and forgiveness, and that
beautiful mauve flower,
Impatiens, which grows
along the sides of some of
the Welsh streams, will,
with its blessing, help you
along the road.

INDICATION
Those who are quick in thought and
action and who wish all things to be
done without hesitation or delay. When
ill they are anxious for a hasty recovery.
They find it very difficult to be patient
with people who are slow, as they
consider it wrong and a waste of time,
and they will endeavour to make such
people quicker in all ways.
They often prefer to work and think
alone, so that they can do everything at
their own speed.

34

Impatiens was probably the first

flower remedy Dr Bach identified.
Visiting Wales in 1928 he saw this
Himalayan Balsam growing on
a riverbank along with Mimulus
(see page 42). Significantly, neither
plant is a British native. Impatiens
glandulifera was found in Kashmir
in the 1830s and brought back to
England. It escaped and has been so
successful as a colonist that it has
now become common throughout
the country. Apparently it is still on
the increase. It is for the emotional
state of irritation, for tension and
pain. The pattern of growth that the
plant displays can be used to explain
why this is so and to illustrate other
aspects of the remedy state.
Bach first saw Impatiens in late
September when the pods were
ripe; no doubt he observed how
they exploded and scattered the
seeds, like little bullets. The sides
of the pod are elastic and they curl
back like tiny writhing snakes. To
experience this just take hold of one
of the fat pointed pods and it will
give a perfect demonstration of the
explosive irritation of Impatiens! The
seeds need the cold of winter before
germination but they are quick off
the mark in spring and soon outgrow
other plants. That is why Impatiens
grows so densely and forms such
a bank of flowers. Bach observed
that the Impatiens person likes to

work alone, at speed and without

interference, just like the plant.
The plants are tall, branched
and leafy with brittle, fleshy stems
growing up to 2m or more in a few
months. The flowers are amazingly
delicate for such a powerful plant
and they hang from a fine stalk,
poised and balanced, with an open
mouth inviting insects. Constantly
active, Impatiens carries buds,
flowers and seeds simultaneously
throughout the late summer. Most
of the flowers are a hot-mauve
colour, a mottled deep red. But Bach
specified that only the pale-mauve
flowers were to be used in preparing
a remedy. The reason for this is that
they are cooler and more delicate,
carrying the essence of the sweet,
gentle, relaxed tenderness that is
characteristic of the positive state of
Impatiens.

35

The 12 Healers

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

IMPATIENS
Impatiens glandulifera

Locality
Impatiens is found throughout
Britain. It grows along the banks
of streams and rivers, the seeds
travelling in the water. It will grow
in full light or shade and accepts
varying soils, unless markedly acid.
It prefers damp ground.

Flowering period
July to September, .
or until a frost.

Preparation

Identification
Impatiens glandulifera (also known as
I. roylei) is the only plant of its kind
although there are two or three other
Balsams that are related. It grows
tallest and strongest of the family; the
others have yellow or orange flowers.
It is a fast growing annual, the leaves
are large and pointed with a toothed
edge, dark green and like the stem they
36

are lined in purple. The flowerheads

are carried on stems that spring from
the base of the leaves. The five petals
are fused to form a hood or helmet
(it is sometimes called Policemans
Helmet).
This Impatiens is definitely not the
same as the popular houseplant called
Busy Lizzie (Impatiens x walleriana).

Impatiens is prepared by the

sun method (p.200). Only the
pale mauve flowers are used;
pick them by the slender stalks
and float them on to the water.
Choose a place where the flowers
grow really strongly and select
from several different plants.

37

The 12 Healers

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Clematis
Clematis vitalba
dreamers, drowsy,
absent minded
brings down to earth

AFFIRMATION
The remedy brings stability:
and places the patient on
a more practical plane;
brings them down to earth;
and so enables them to fulfil
their work in this world.

INDICATION
Those who are dreamy, drowsy, not fully
awake, no great interest in life. Quiet
people, not really happy in their present
circumstances, living more in the future
than in the present; living in hopes of
happier times, when their ideals may
come true. In illness some make little or no
effort to get well, and in certain cases may
even look forward to death, in the hope
of better times; or maybe, meeting again
some beloved one whom they have lost.

38

The Latin name vitalba means

literally: white vine. White: because
of the characteristic white flowers
and silvery awns of the seeds
and vine because of its habit of
climbing over the hedges. Some of
the common names are Old Mans
Beard (its fluffy appearance) and
Travellers Joy because it grows so
prolifically in the lanes and on the
roadside; perhaps too for the dried
stalks that provide Gypsies Bacca
for the gentlemen of the road! This
was one of the first three remedies
which Bach identified in 1928; it
is for the mentality that is dreamy
and not sufficiently awake in the
present. It is a creeper that has no
means of supporting itself and so it
relies upon small trees and shrubs
to carry it aloft (think of the strong
trunk and firm roots of the Oak for
a comparison). The creamy-white
tufted flowers have no intensity
and strength of colour (contrast
Gorse or Chicory). As the plant
grows it smothers the tree blurring
its shape, softening the outline,
making a cloud of the hedge; clear
physical forms become vague and
amorphous. In a light breeze the
loosely hanging Clematis swings in
the wind. Where it lies like a fleecy
blanket on the hedge the whole soft
mass moves unsteadily. Look at it
and you become drawn into its sway.
Mesmerized by the gentle dream of
light and air you too leave the earth

and, subtly disorientated, you are

drawn out into another land. The
physical world grows remote, faint as
smoke and quiet as a fairy dawn. We
are in a childs dream.
Mundane reality may be dull by
comparison, but this is the life that
we must live. We evade human
responsibility if we try to escape into
fantasy. Bach spoke of this as a polite
form of suicide. The soul message
is that we must come down to
earth and work with life on a more
practical plane. If we were supposed
to pass this life in the astral worlds
then we would have been born there.
Yet, while Clematis may lead our
thoughts into another reality, the
flower also expresses the purpose of
having a strong hold on life. It grows
very prolifically and is an extremely
successful plant in that it can cover
large areas. As it holds on firmly for
support it demonstrates our learning
to hold on when there is nothing
in you except the will which says to
you hold on!. It grows with the
will to be in life.
39

The 12 Healers

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Clematis
Clematis vitalba

Locality
Clematis is found throughout
southern Britain, preferring
calcareous soils. It becomes
scarce in the north.

Flowering Period
July through to September.

Identification
Clematis is a woody perennial,
growing stems as long as 30m which
hang from trees like jungle vines.
The pinnate leaves are pointed (1520cm), in opposite pairs, on long
twisting stalks which serve to entwine
branches and provide support since
there are no tendrils.
The unrelated White or Black
Bryony could be mistaken for Clematis
since they also straggle through the
hedges, however both forms of Bryony
40

have single leaves, flowers are ranged

along a stem and form red berries.
The creamy-white flowers of
Clematis have four sepals, but no
petals. Numerous very prominent
stamens give a tufted appearance. In
autumn the wispy seedheads form the
characteristic Old Mans Beard. There
are no other wild flower variants of
Clematis in Britain.
Ornamental garden Clematis should
not be used.

Preparation
Clematis is prepared by the sun method
(p.200). Pick the separate flowers by the
stalk from several different plants in a
place where Clematis is growing strongly.
Care should be taken to choose flowers in
perfect bloom: this will be apparent by the
scent and the pollen on the stamens.

41

The Second 19

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Beech
Fagus sylvatica
intolerant, critical, fussy
seeing good in the world

Affirmation
That we never criticise nor
condemn the thoughts, the
opinions, the ideas of others;
ever remembering that all
humanity are Gods children,
each striving in his own way
to find the Glory of his Father.

INDICATION
For those who feel the need to
see more good and beauty in
all that surrounds them. And,
although much appears to be
wrong, to have the ability to see
the good growing within. So as
to be able to be more tolerant,
lenient and understanding of
the different way each individual
and all things are working to
their own final perfection.

142

What could be more beautiful than

the sun shining through the spring
leaves in a Beechwood? What is
lovelier than the autumn colours of
the Beech trees on the Chiltern Hills?
These elegant woodlands provided
Bach with a remedy for the state of
mind which is critical, intolerant
and faultfinding. It is true that the
Beech is a refined and almost perfect
tree. It has a smooth bark with a
hard-grained and knot-free wood
which can be polished to a superb
finish; the young leaves covered
with soft hair
and minutely
pleated, the
purest pale
translucent
green, are a
miracle of
precision and
fineness. So
too, the mind
which sees only
the crooked
hem, a speck
of dirt and the
imperfections
of life: it too
is precise and
highly refined. Like the Beech tree
too much refinement brings a critical
and intolerant outlook if it develops
negatively. In these woods no other
shrubs or trees are tolerated; they
are excluded by a carpet of dead

leaves and the dense canopy of the

tree tops which allows little rain or
light to filter through. Once Beeches
have come to dominance they reign
supreme.
The critical mind finds fault with
others to protect itself. Intolerance
is used to give a sense of security. In
Beech woods the trees are actually
weak and shallow rooted, falling
in storm winds if they are exposed
by woodland clearance. The Beech
state of mind betrays a fear of life
as much as a feeling of superiority.
So the positive
quality that this
tree can bring
is a vision of
beauty which
can see beauty
in others, a way
of perceiving
the virtue in all
things, a loving
acceptance of
life with all its
imperfections
and crumpled
realities. In this
positive state
we can see that
there are standards of behaviour
other than our own which may be
equally valid and have an equal
right to exist; each being is working
to perfection in the way of its own
nature.

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Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Locality

Beech
Fagus sylvatica

Beeches are found throughout

Britain growing on a variety
of soils. They are especially
characteristic of chalk landscape
preferring the well-drained
conditions. Ancient Beech forests
are generally found in the south
of England.

The Second 19
Flowering Period
April and May, soon after the
leaf appears. The male flowers
open as fluffy balls when ready.

Preparation
Identification
Beech is a native British tree
growing to over 30m with a
smooth grey bark. In woodland
they often have no low branches
though solitary trees will grow
to a complete and balanced form
with branches offering leaves for
all available light. Leaf buds are
long and slender on opposite
spurs. Flowers form soon after
the leaves appear with male
and female on the same tree.
The females mature a few days

144

before the males to ensure crosspollination from a neighbouring

tree. They are seen as a reddish
crown of bristly mast which
hardens to protect the nut. The
male flowers hang beneath the
branch on slender stalks like
clustering earrings. They swing in
the wind and so release pollen.
The Copper Beech and Weeping
Beech are both ornamental
derivatives of F. sylvatica and they
are not the true form.

Beech is prepared by the

boiling method (see p.202).
Choose a place where the
branches are accessible at the
edge of a wood and pick from
several different trees. Both
male and female flowers are
used. The females are mostly
on the tips of the branches.
Cut the twigs about 15cm to
fit the saucepan.

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The Second 19

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Star of Bethlehem
Ornitholagum umbellatum
loss, grief, fright, sudden alarm
balance and harmony

Affirmation
To remain in such a state
of peace that the trials and
disturbances of the world
leave us unruffled, is a great
attainment indeed and brings
to us that Peace which passeth
understanding; and though at
first it may seem to be beyond
our dreams, it is in reality, with
patience and perseverence,
within the reach of us all.

INDICATION
For those in distress under
conditions which for a time
produce great unhappiness.
The shock of serious news, the
loss of someone dear, the fright
following an accident, and
such like. For those who for a
time refuse to be consoled this
remedy brings comfort.

158

Star of Bethlehem is a six-petalled

flower. Like the Star of David, this
star has an especial meaning. The
name also relates to the fact that a
plant of this kind grows profusely
in the fields of Palestine and Syria.
The stars of those lands have some
obvious associations. This small
flower that shines with an intense
whiteness, displays a perfect
six-fold geometry. In the natural
world geometry has a wondrous
meaning. It was
only in quite
recent times
that the Mogen
David became
the symbol of
Judaism. It was
used in antiquity
because it
demonstrated
the idea that life
was due to the
interpenetration
of matter and
Divinity: one triangle representing
the Divine world touching to
earth, the other the material world
reaching towards God. When
they are in perfect relationship a
perfect attunement exists in life.
If they are out of kilter, however,
it is easy to see that all things
would be displaced and out of
harmony. As this is the only one

of the Bach flowers that has this

six-fold geometry (most of them
are five-fold) it has a particular
significance.
Star of Bethlehem is for shock.
When we suffer a shock of any
kind it has the tendency to drive
us out of our bodies we say I
jumped out of my skin or it
knocked me sideways. We have a
picture then of the dislocation of
the subtle geometry of ourselves:
we are out of
balance. This
distorts the flow
of the life force
within us and
has serious effects
upon our health
at all levels. Star
of Bethlehem
has the strength
in its bright
radiant purity
to realign the
pattern. It acts to
unify us again so that the natural
healing processes can take place. In
practical terms we feel comforted
and soothed so that our pain and
trauma are eased; we find that
we can breathe again and release
tension. That is to say a state
of normal activity can resume
because the harmony of our divine
nature is again in place.

159

The Second 19

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Star of Bethlehem

Flowering Period
April to May.

Ornithogalum umbellatum
Locality
Star of Bethlehem grows in open grassland on drier
soils. It is not uncommon but is most likely to be
found in the south and east of England. Old flower
books speak of it as being an introduced species to
be found in cottage gardens, though if it is not a
native species it has generally naturalized.

Preparation

Identification
Star of Bethlehem is a perennial bulb of
the Lily family. When in flower it has a
stem and leaves of about 10-15cm The
leaves are slender and pointed, growing
from the bulb, dark green with a white
central vein. The flowers are held in
an umbel a head of between six and
ten separately stemmed flowers each
flower (30mm across) having six petals.
These are bright white with a dark green
stripe on the back; this is due to their
dual function as sepals forming a green
160

bud before opening. Within the six

petals is a central coronet of six stamens,
very pronounced, raised on white stalks
surrounding a central dome. The flowers
are displayed to gain maximum light
and open fully only in bright sunshine.
The plant is easily recognized though
some of its relatives might mislead:
Ramsons, wild garlic, for instance
has a broad leaf and a flowerhead of
plain white stars, while others have a
distinctly different structure.

Star of Bethlehem is prepared

by the boiling method (see
p.202). Find a place where
the plant is prolific and pick
the flowerheads complete.
The flowers should be open
so a bright, clear morning is
required.

161

Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Preparation for remedy making

Ourselves

When we set out to make an essence

we may feel it right to prepare
ourselves beforehand so that we are in
a receptive and harmonious state.

All the practical details

of making the essence
should be well prepared
in advance - aim for
complete mastery of the
physical processes.

For the day

Check the forecast a clear,

bright, sunny day when there

are no clouds in the sky and
light wind
Check the site, access and get
permission if required
Be ready to start picking flowers
for the essence before nine
oclock in the morning

198

Then we are able to work with the healing

forces of nature which are to be brought into
focus in the remedy.
Take a bath, wear clean clothes. Dr Bach,
we are told, wore a white gown. Also, if you
like to, prepare yourself mentally by a form of
meditation; though perhaps it should be said
that the endeavour is always to put as little of
ourselves into the essence as is possible.
Making a flower remedy calls for our best
endeavour in all respects, whatever way we
choose to approach the process. The more
we strive to understand what is involved the
better we shall be able to see what exactly is
appropriate. When preparing a remedy in this
way there is an opportunity to observe and
consciously penetrate to the deeper levels of
meaning for ourselves, for the plant, for the
patterns of life force which exist making
contact with the essence within

Whenever possible plants should be in the

The flowers
wild, in a place where they are not interfered
with by animals or people, and where the
earth forces are strong and unpolluted by
motorways, power stations and the like.
It is apparent that many of the remedy
trees and plants no longer grow in the
same clear and healthy conditions which
existed in Bachs time. There are physical
and metaphysical forces which have
weakened and distorted the land and the
flowers. Where the natural balance has
been maintained there the remedy will be
strongest.
With those trees and shrubs which are
likely to have been planted, such as Red
It is important to choose
Chestnut, Walnut or Cerato, we can find
a location where these
a place where the estate, farm or garden
are growing naturally.
is sensitively cared for. When preparing
a remedy use only those flowers that are
in perfect bloom and select from several
different plants or trees at the same location.
Make doubly sure that this is the correct
flower.

You need...

Bowl or pan depending on

method; best if they have not

been used for another purpose
A bottle of the purest water
available ideally fresh from a
pure, local spring (not distilled
water)
Secateurs or scissors to snip
from plant. Stick or ladder for
high flowers

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Bach Flower Remedies The Essence Within

Sun method
Take a thin glass bowl about
400ml or half pint size (not the
ovenproof type) and fill it with
pure water.

Cover the surface of the bowl

with flowers and then top up
the water if necessary. Leave
it in the sunshine alongside
the remedy plants for three
to four hours, or less if the
blooms show signs of fading.

Snip the blooms from the plant

and float them immediately
on to the water. It may help
if someone holds the bowl
beneath the flower stems.
Alternatively carry the flowers
on a broad leaf to avoid any
contact with the hand.
200

If the sun becomes clouded

during this time the remedy
should be abandoned. Avoid
letting shadows fall across the
bowl, whether your own or
from plants and grasses.
When they have given up
their healing strength the
flowers should be lifted out
from the bowl using a twig of
the plant rather than fingers.
When the remedy has been
prepared you will sense the
vitality and see that the water
has been subtly changed.

201